Steam, electric, and compressed-air car-coupling.



C. C. AYRES.

STEAM ELECTRIC AND COMPRESSED AIRCAR COUFLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1917.

1,262,908, Patented. Apr. 16, 191s,

. Edu

*TE 5 awww/bola @adv/ Q, @was C. C. AYRE'S.

STEAM ELECTRIC AND COMPRESSED AIR CAR COUPLING.

Patented Apr. 16, 1.918.

2 SHEETSHET 2.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. |911.

3M vento@ CARLOS C. AYRES, OF DETROIT, IVIICI-IIGAN'.`

STEAM, ELECTRIC, AND COMPRESSED-AIR CAR-COUPLING'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1e, i918.,

Application led May 23, 1917. Serial No. 176,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLOS C. Ariens, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam,Electric, and Compressed-Air Car-Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

` This invention relates generally to railway appliances, more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in car and train pipe couplers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a car coupler having a movable knuckle which may be moved to and locked in its closed position automatically when it is engaged by the coupler member carried by another car, and which is provided with electrically operated means for releasing the knuckle from its locked position.

Anotherobj ect of the invention is to provide a car coupler, the means for locking the knuckle thereof in closed position being concealed within the draw-head so that it can only be released and the knuckle movedto open position by operating an electro-magnet which is controlled from within the car. This provides an eflicient means for preventing the coupler from being tampered with by unauthorized persons who have not access to the interior of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a draw-head having train pipes provided with couplers and mechanically operated valves, thereon, in addition to the car couplers.

A further obj ect of the invention is to generally improve upon devices of this class by the provision of a comparatively simple, strong, durable and inexpensive construction, one which will be efficient and reliable in operation, and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the application and in which similar reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views: g

Figure l is a top. plan view withthe cover Y tion.

plate broken away and partly removed, of a draw-head constructed in accordance with this invention and the adjacent end of another similarly constructed draw-head show-v ing the latter just before it is coupled to the former; Y i

` Fig. 2 is a similar 'view of the two `drawheads showing them in coupled relation;

Fig. l 3 is a transverse sectional view through one of the draw-heads taken on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portionvof one of the draw-heads illustrating the construction and mechanism associated with the knuckle and showing the latter in its open position;

' Fig.y 5 is a similar view showing knuckle in its closed position; and,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the lcircuit arrangement for using devices constructed in accordance with this inveni the Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates a draw-head from the inner end of which projects an integrally connected shank 2 -to be attached to the'car in any suitable manner. rl`he draw-head l is provided with a plurality of recesses which are formed on one side and which will behereinafter more fully described. Over the recessed side of the draw-head is placed a cover plate 3, the latter being held or clamped firmly in place by suitable bolts 4.

Disposedvin a recess 5 which is arranged in the outer end of the draw-head l and pivoted between the cover plate 2 and a wall of the draw-head is a knuckle 6. As shown, this knuckle 6 is provided with a hooked portion 7 adapted to engage asimilar portion of a coupler member carried by another car, and has recesses '8 and 9 arranged in its two innermost edges. The recess 8 is adapted to receive one end of a coiled spring l0 the other end of which is seated Ain a recess arranged in the adjacent wall of the drawhead. e

The recess 5 above referred to extends substantially transversely of the draw-head and communicating with this recess and extending substantially longitudinally of the drawhead is a pair of recesses 11 and 12. Slidably mounted in the recess 11 is a bolt 13, the latter having a beveled outer end and being positioned so as to project into the recess 9 of the knuckle 6 when said knuckle 1s in its closed position. Disposed between the inner end of the bolt 13 and-between the end of the recess 11 is a coiled spring 111. Obviously this coil spring tends to project the bolt 13 outwardly, but its main function is toprovide a butfing means for preventinginjury to the bolt or other parts when the same is withdrawn by the means to be hereinafter described.

Slidably mounted in the recess 12 is a bolt releasing member 15. This member 15 is operatively connected with the bolt 13 by means of two parallel arms 16 which are fulcrumed intermediate of their ends in recesses disposed transversely between the recesses 11 and 12, and have their ends loosely and pivotally connected to the bolt and member respectively. By this construction it will be seen that as the member 15 is moved in one direction it will swing the arms upon their fulcrums so as to movev the bolt 13 in the other direction.

The member 15 is provided with a beveled outer end which is to be engaged by a projection 17 formed on the adjacent edge of the knuckle 6 so that as the knuckle 6 is swung or moved to its closed position the member 15 will be forced inwardly and the bolt 13 will be projected outwardly. A

I Fixed to and extending longitudinally from the inner end of the member 15 is a Y stem composed of a non-magnetic portion 18 and amagnetic portion 19, the free end of the magnetic portion 19 being providedy with a plate 2O against which one end of a coiled spring 21 bears. The other end of the coil spring 21 restsagainst the end of the recess 12 and tends to project the member 15 outwardly. 1

Arranged Within the recess 12 in any suitable manner is a solenoid 22 through which the stem above referred to extends. The terminals of the solenoid 22 are connected to wires arranged ina conduit 23.

The knuckle 6 is spaced adjacent one side of thek draw-head, while arranged at the other side of the same is a coupler member 24. This coupler member 211 is formed integrally with the draw-head and is provided with a hooked portion 25 adapted to cooperate with the similarly constructed por` tion of the knuckle of another draw-head.

Extending longitudinally through the draw-head are train pipes 26, onebeing the steam pipe and the other the compressed air pipe but which are of identical construction with the exception that one pipe carries at its outer'end a female pipe or coupling member 27 whilerthe other pipe carries a male pipe coupling member 28. These pipe coupling members 27 and 28 may be yieldably mounted with respect to the yfixed portion of the train pipes in any suitable manner.

Arranged within the train pipes 26 yare .noid 32. When energized, the solenoidk 32 draws the valve from its seat, and when deenergized, the valve is seated by means of a coil spring 33 which is disposed between the valve and the' adjacent endV of the solenoid. f

The reference numeral 311 represents what' may be termed a connection' member. This member is substantially tubular in shape and provided with a head atits outer end', and is slidably mountedin a suitable guide formed in the'drawdiead, being maintained normally in its outermost position by means of a coiled spring 35. Thevmember 34 is preferably constructed wholly or in part of insulating material. The head orclosed end of the member 3a is providedwith a pair of contact elements 36 to which are connected the conductors leading from one of the terminals of the solenoids 32.

In applying devices constructed vas described to railway `cars,vtwo ofthe drawheads are used, one being disposed at each end of the car. In Fig. 6 of the drawings the manner in which the various solenoids are connected in their circuits in a train isl shown. In this ligure the letter A designates a locomotive, B ra car coupled to the locomotive and C another car coupled to the car B. Carried by the locomotive A is a suitable source of electricity here shown for the purpose of illustration as being a bat-v tery D. @ne of the terminals ofthe battery D is connected to a wire 37 which runs and is connected to one of the 'contact `ele ments carried by the connection member 34e fastened at the rear end of the locomotive. This contact element engages one of the contact elements carried by the connection member 34 disposed at one end of the car B, and from this last mentioned contact element eX- tends a conductor 38 to one of the terminals of one of the solenoids 32. The other terminal of this solenoid 32 is connected to one of the terminals of a lcorresponding solenoid at the other end of the car B by aconductor 39, and the other terminal of the last mentioned solenoid is connected by a conductor 4l() to one of the contact elements carried by the connection member at the rear end of the car B. The other two solenoids 32 are connected in series with each other and to the other contact elements carried by the connection members of this car in a similar manner. The solenoids 32 of the car C are connected in the same mannerias the solenoids `32 of the'car B are, so that the currentfrom the battery D passes through all of the solenoids '32 arranged in one of the train pipes andthen through all-'of the-.soleabove noids 32 arranged in the other train pipe. Obviously the Contact elements in the connection member at the rear end of the last car C must be bridged or short-circuitedin any vconvenient manner to properly complete the circuit. To control the action of the circuit a suitable switch 41 is disposed within the locomotive. Y

lhile the solenoids 32 are all operated simultaneousli7 and from one point, the solenoids 22 or each car are controlled by a circuit arranged in each car. ln the present instance the source of energy for these individual circuits is shown as the storage batteries 42 by which the cars are lighted. One of the terminals of each of the storage batteries 42 is connected by a conductor 43 to one of the terminals of one of the sclenoids 22. rEhe other terminal ol' this solenoid 22 is connected by a conductor 44 to one oi' the terminals of the other solenoid 22, and the other terminal of the last mentioned solenoid is connected by a wire 45 to a switch 46, the latter being connected to the other pole of battery 42.

ln Fig. 1 of the drawings the adjacent ends of a pair of draw-heads are shown just before they are moved toward each other and coupled together, the knuckles 6 being.'r in their open position so as to allow the? hooked ends 25 o the immovable coupler members 24 to pass beyond the similar portions or" the knuckles. As the draw-heads come Jtogether the knuckles 6 are engaged by the ends or" the coupler members 24 and swung on their pivots to their closed positions. In doing so, the projections 17 engage the outer beveled ends of the members 15 and move said members 15 inwardly, thus causing the bolts 13 to be projected outwardly, the recesses 9 being moved into alinement with the bolts13 to permit the latter to be projected into the same. The beveled edges of the bolts 13 engage one of the walls ot the recesses 9 and assist in swinging the knuckles 6 to their closed positions. l/Vhen the bolts 13 are projected to their full extent into the recesses 9 one of the edges of the bolts beyond their beveled portions iirmly engage the walls ot the recesses and prevent the knuckles from being moved, and in order to unlock them the bolts must be retracted which can only be done by operating the members 15. This is done by closing the switch 46 in the cars so as to energize the solenoids 22. When energized these solenoids draw their magnetic cores into them and torce the members 15 slightly outward, so as to withdraw the bolts 13 until their shoulders formed at the junction of their beveled edges with their longitudinal straight edges are moved out of engagement with the adjacent walls of the recesses 9. When the cars are then moved apart the knuckles 6 may be swung to their open position under the tension of the springs 10, and the coupler members 24 will be disengaged from saidknuckles.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, use and operation of the device will be readily understood without a more extended explanation.

As various changes in form, proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departingy from the spirit ot' this invention it is to be understood that l do not wish to be limited to the precise construction herein shown and described.

l claim:

1. A .device of the class described comprising a recessed drawhead, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head and having opened and closed positions, a movable bolt mounted within said head and positioned to engage and lock said knuckle when projected and the latter is in closed position` andsaid bolt is projected, means disposed within said head and operatively connected with said bolt and positioned to be engaged by said knuckle to project said bolt when said knuckle is moved to close-d position, and electro magnetically operated means for actuating the last named means and reti-acting said bolt to unlock said knuckle.

2. A device of the class described comprisino' a recessed draw-head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head, a movable bolt disposed within said head and engaging said knuckle for locking the latter in closed position, a movable member disposed within said head and positioned nr engagement with said knuckle, connections operatively connecting said bolt with said member to more the former upon the movement ot the latter, and an electro-magnet for actuating said members.

3. A device of the class described comprising a recessed draw-head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head, a bolt slidably mounted in said head and engaging said knuckle for locking the latter in closed position, a bolt actuating member slidably mounted in said head and positioned for engagement with said knuckle, connections operatively connecting said bolt and said member to move the former upon the movement of the latter and in the opposite direction from the same, and an electro-magnet for actuating` said members.

4. device of the class described comprising a recessed draw-head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head and having a recess therein., a bolt slidably mounted in said head and having one of its ends positioned to project into the recess in said knuckle when the latter is in its closed position, a bolt actuating member slidably mounted in said head and having one of its ends position'ed for engagement with said knuckle, :mf armfulcrumed:intermediate of its ends in said head and pivotally connected tor said bolt and said memberto move the former upon the movement of the latter, a solenoid mounted within said head adjacent said member, and a core carried by said member and slidable through the bore of said solenoid and magnetically operated by the same.

A device of the class described comprising recessed clra\\'-head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in said head and havinga recess therein, a bolt slidably mounted in said head and having one of its ends bev-` eled and positioned to project into the recess in said knuckle when the latter is in its closed position, a'projection ony said knuckle, a bolt actuating member slidably mounted insaid heed and hfwingA oneof its ends positioned for engagementwvith said projection, a pair of erms fulcrumed intermediate of their ends'in said -head and pivotally'con-y nected at their ends to said bolt and Said member to move the former upon the movement of the latter, ak solenoid mounted within said head adjacent to said member, and a core carried by said member and slidable through the boro of said solenoid and magnetically operated by the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses. j

CARLOS C. AYRES. l/Vitnesses C. @.lIUNT, C. MUNKEL.

Gpishf this'patent maybe obtained for 'v cents each, by addressngthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1D. C. 

